Depression

Stan1961 said...
Does this make any sense to anyone .....2 types of treatment for this usually ....surgery or radiation therapy ... both can cure you if u r lucky ...depending on stats of course ... so. 1 surgury...ok u check in after breing nervousness as hell ...get it done ...home next day ..pain ..foley catheter.. meds a lot of them for a week .sure u r a mess maybe for a week ...but u r home ...peeing freely eating good ...cath comes out ...ok so. Worst thing yourvleaking ok u freak out ...hopefulyy pathology report looks good ... u slowly exercise start to get better because u can drink tons and pee free eat good cause u can crap still ...6 weeks get a blood test and hope u r one of those 8 out of 10 that hit point 2....great for now u r cancer free ...what more do u want .. but instead. You chose radiation like me ...u slowly start to mess yourself up over a month ..by then there is no,turning back if u r lucky u get no side effects but everyone does some slot and they aren’t good ...so now u r more sick than u were having cancer without treating it ...so now u r on this med and that med can eat this or that hsve to be by a can can’t sleep, upset ..hopefully it all goes away and guess what oh crap I forgot about the cancer crap I hope that’s gone as well . Oh and I hsve to wait 3 months just to see if it’s gone down a bit my PSA .and if it hasn’t then whst ..........seriously they should only use radiation for secondary treatment only ....only if u hsve to hsve it ....I think it’s purely an experiment that I got sucked into . 70% of the country doesn’t hsve options all they hsve is surgury...lucky them

Stan, I am compassionate for you and we are all sorry for your SE with RT. I know you are currently having a hard time with your RT. But again, your view of RT is based solely on your situation. You are making broad statements which are not 100% fact! RT is a very good treatment for many, many PC victims! It should NOT only be used for secondary treatment! It is NOT an experiment by some mad scientist RO! There are stats that shows great success with all types of RT over long periods of time. Sorry, just felt compelled to add my 2 cents here!

Stan1961 said...
Oh were you one of the lucky ones ..tell me you had no side effects at all ..if you didn’t then god bless youn

I do have minimal SE! But again, you are assuming no SE from Surgery as well -- ED, urinary SE etc.! There are no simple answers here and most treatments come with various SE which are different for each patient! You are making a statement that RT sux and is NOT a good treatment option because you have SE! Again, I feel for you and I am sorry for your SE, but your negative comments may influence "newby's" who are looking at their options right now! That is what bothers me!

I am not pushing people to RT, but giving them an option to make what they think is the best educated treatment decision based on research and numerous discussions with family, various surgeons, and RO's!

Clinical Depression, as opposed to being really bummed out and upset you have PC, is serious. I suffered a major depressive episode long before I had PC. I saw a psychiatrist who was a "talk therapist" but would give antidepressants as an adjunct to facilitate the talk therapy. I my case prozac had an unbelievable effect.

Prescribing an antidepressant is empirical. Prozac, Zoloft and other drugs are so-called SSRI's -- selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Some work on some people some on others and some not at all.

If you think you are depressed you should see a mental health professional. Your MO and other caregivers are not expert in this.

There is no stigma to depression and no stigma in taking antidepressants. If they work they are life changing.

If you have PC and you are depressed it will likely shorten your life.

I haven't been here in awhile.....I've been dealing with anxiety for quite some time now and in all honesty, I don't think it's related to my PC. I've also been dealing with sever headaches and pressure around my sinuses as well and can't help but think it's related to my anxiety.

You are not alone! about 9 months after I was diagnosed, I started having severe anxiety attacks, crying jags, and of course bouts of depression. I mostly put these of to ADT hormonal changes. You know, T=0, loss of body hair hot flashes etc and tried to ignore them. It was not until I realized I was siting on my stairs alone, in a house full a people, and could not breathe, that I needed some help. With my wife's encouragement, I approached my oncologist about the issue. He put me on Venlafaxine, which is also used to reduce hot flashes. It really helped to control my anxiety attacks. At the same time I decided I was going to live with prostate cancer, not wait to die from prostate cancer and all the emotional baggage that entails. With a little chemical help, some therapy (mostly just venting sessions to some one not in the family), and support of my wife and children, I have redirected my emotions to a more positive direction (although I still cry at the stupidest things on TV). Today, no drugs, and occasional therapy session, and the anxiety and depression are gone. That's my personal story. My message is "Let people know so they can help you help yourself."

Keep strong and never give up. Mike

PC effects the whole person, body, mind, and spirit. You need to take care of all of you.

It is as much about emotions as it about cancer.
It is about loss and grieving for a past that will never be in our future.
It is okay shed a tear and admit we're not okay with that.
It is okay to scream in rage over loss and changes we don't want.
It's where this disease drives to.

Andrew